Electric terminal



y 1949- R. T. cusATo 2,475,448

ELECTRIC TERMINAL Filed Dec. 28, 1946 $256k 7621:2250 Eu Gnome Patented July 5, 1949 ELECTRIC TERMINAL Ralph T. Cusato, Collingswood, N. J assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application December 28, 1946, Serial No. 718,918

4 Claims.

This invention relates to terminals for electrical apparatus and particularly to post or turret-type terminals formed from sheet metal and adapted to be attached to an apertured terminalboard or the like.

In the assembly of radio receivers and similar apparatus it is frequently necessary or expedient to solder or otherwise connect the leads for several different electrical units to a common terminal and to mount all of the terminals upon a common terminal board. When some of the electrical units are mounted on or above the upper surface of said board or panel and others are mounted beneath it, the usual practice is to solder the leads for the upper units to the head of the terminal and to solder the other leads to a dependent extension of the terminal on the under side of the panel. This of course requires two separate soldering operations and may also involve the intermediate step of turning the entire assembly or chassis up side down.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved lead-through terminal and one capable of accommodating a plurality of discrete lead wires whereby, if desired, all of said wires may be afiixed to the terminal at a common point in a. single operation.

Another and related object of the invention is to provide a rugged yet inexpensive sheet-metal lead-through terminal, and one adapted, without change, for mounting in either a circular or a non-circular panel aperture.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved terminal, of the general character described, which may be attached with equal facility to ceramic, metal and plastic panels of various thickness dimensions.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of making and mounting a sheet-metal terminal, and one which lends itself readily both to mass production and to on-the-spot production, as by the use of ordinary hand tools.

Other objects and advantages together with certain preferred details of construction will be apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following specification and to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view and Fig. 2 is an end View of a fiat metal strip from which a terminal of the invention is formed,

Fig. 3 is a plan view and Fig. 4 is an end View of the strip of Fig. 1 with its end portions bent, longitudinally, in the form of a V,

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the strip of Fig. 4 doubled over to form a finished terminal, the terminal being affixed to a panel or base,

Fig. 6 is a bottom View of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a partial section of Fig. 5 showing the manner in which the terminal is staked to the panel,

Fig. 8 is an elevational view of a terminal, Within the invention, modified by the addition of a dependent lug or arm and affixed to a panel,

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a flat metal strip or stamping from which the terminal of Fig. 8 is formed,

Fig. 10 is a partial section and Fig. 11 is a bottom-view of a terminal within the invention showing the manner in which it may be attached to a ceramic base having a square hole therein.

The terminals of the invention are preferably fabricated by cutting or stamping, from a sheet or strip of brass, aluminum or other preferably slightly-springy metal, a blank I in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 wherein 2 and 3 designate, respectively, two Latin crosses connected each at its base by a narrow strip 4 having a bar 5 across its center. The function of the central cross bar 5 in the finished terminal T (Fig. 5) is to aid in retainin a lead-wire (not shown) which may be wrapped therearound preliminary to soldering. The cross bar 5 may be omitted if desired.

The next step in forming a terminal from the blank of Figs. 1 and 2 is to bend each of the end portions 2 and 3, along the long axis .'L'.L' of the blank, in the form of a V-shape channel as shown in the end-view, Fig. 4. The final step in the formation of the terminal comprises bending the strip, either at its center or adjacent to the opposite sides of the cross bar 5, backwards (as Viewed in Fig. 3) in the form of an inverted U (see Fig. 5) so that the apex of each of the channeled ends 212 and 312 of the strip lies adjacent to or contiguous the other so that, viewed together, the Vs form an X (see Fig. 6). When thus bent, it will be observed (see Fig. 5) that the narrow connecting strip 4 between the end portions 2 and 3 of the blank form a loop L through which one or more lead wires (not shown) may be threaded. Thereafter, the terminal may be plated or otherwise treated to facilitate soldering of the lead wires thereto.

The above described bifurcated X-shape of the lower end of the terminal T permits it to be mounted either in a circular or non-circular panel-aperture. Thus, in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 the terminal is shown affixed to a synthetic resin panel 6 having a circular mounting hole I therein,

and in Figs. 10 and 11 the terminal, which is here designated T, is shown mounted in a square hole 8 having a beveled edge 9 such as usually found in a panel I 0 constituted of more rigid materials, such as porcelain, glass-bound mica, "steatite or other ceramic material. The attaching operation is the same irrespective of the shape of the mounting hole and consists simply in holding the V-shape ends together, so that they form an X, then fitting the X in the hole so that the now radially extending short-arms of the two crosses 2 and 3 extend beyond the boundaries ofthe hole and rest upon the panel, and finally forcing a peen or staking tool (not shown) into'the four arms of the X 0 that the adjacent metal is either embedded in the edge of the circular hOle l, as indicated at 1, Figs. 6, 7 and 8; or-spread'onto the beveled edge 9 of the square hole 8, as shown at s in Figs. 10 and 11.

It will be observed upon inspection of Figs. 5, fi i and 11 that the X (or double-V) lower endof the terminal divides the mounting holes-(l or 8) into four channels or conduits: a, b, c and cl through which lead'wireswmotvshown) may extend to the upper side of the panel where they may be aflixed to the loop L at the top of the terminal in a single soldering operation, if desired. When it is necessary or-expedient to connect one or more leadwires beneath the panel the terminal may-beprovi'ded witha dependent arm or lug i i, as shownzin-Figs. 8 and 9, Without obstructing any of'the four channels through the panel.

It will now be apparent that the present invention provides a ruggedyetinexpensive leadthrough terminal and one whichmay be attached with-equal facility-tocircularly or nonso secured, to accommodate separate ones of said wires between adjacent arms of the X, an intermediate leg portion having vertically extending grooves each in register with the space between adjacent arms of said X-shape portion and each adapted to accommodate one of said wires, and an upper terminal portion to which said wires may be affixed;

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the edges of the grooves of said intermediate portion of said terminal extend radially outward beyond the boundaries of said panel aperture and constitute a pedestal for supporting said terminal.

3. A lead-through terminal comprising a lower bi-part X-shape portion adapted to be seated within a panel-aperture, a pair of upstanding outwardly-concave vertically-grooved leg portions each forming a continuation of a difierent part of said bi-part attaching-portion, and an upper loop-portion connecting said leg portions.

4; The inventionasset forth in claim 3 and wherein said terminal is constituted of a resilient metal and said loop portion of said terminal is adapted to exert an outwardly directed biasing force upon said bi-part lower portion through said leg-portions, whereby the arms of said X are urged into intimatecontact with the surface of said panel 'aperture.

RALPH T. CUSATO.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlcesare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

